The Edge

War-Fighting and the Production of Non-Sense

The 2020 Defence Strategic Update provides a strategic demand signal for Defence to think equally and iteratively across shape, deter and respond. In this context, the notion of warfighting warrants a reconsideration in terms of the dominant position it occupies within the ADF. If this term no longer simply speaks to the activity of fighting a war, what does it actually do, and how does this affect Australia’s current approach to military strategy?

The Race to Manus: 16 REGT RAA’S Foray Into Competition And Conflict 2028

The recollections of Lieutenant David Grieves and Gunner Michael Baker

Grieves was fresh out of Duntroon and ‘Bakes’ was still dreaming of the Dutch girl he met in Townsville when they both found themselves in a heavy combat zone. Their training and high-tech hardware were all put to the test without notice.

The shifting sands of war

Familiar concepts of energy, strategy and territory are undergoing a transformation in the new geopolitical frontline of virtual space where intellectual sovereignty is becoming critical. The fight is no longer chiefly over what lies under the sand, but what strategic power can be derived from the sand itself. Australia must reconsider what it means to supply the world with raw material. 

Intellectual Edge: The Pursuit of Lifetimes

Attaining an intellectual edge requires more than just ticking progressive boxes of formal education, it calls for a lifelong curiosity to critically observe and absorb experience.

Intellectual Curiosity: Our ticket to the moon

Stimulating and nourishing intellectual curiosity across all ADF ranks must become the norm if we are to encourage original ideas and attain the Intellectual Edge over potential adversaries in the 21st century.

Negotiating the military-political interface

Negotiating the military-political interface against the backdrop of a war zone is just one of the many complex and invaluable experiences that can be gained through secondment to the United Nations.

What ‘RIGHT’ Looks Like: Linking Command and Moral Authority

…you don’t follow an order because you know for sure it’s gonna work out. You do what you are told, because your CO has the moral authority that says you may not come back. But the cause is just, and fair, and necessary.

The Civ-Mil sweet spot – PME writing by Reservists

The Australian Defence Force needs to draw the full intellectual potential from its limited pool of people, including the ADF Reserves. Yet ADF Reserves tend to be under-represented in the professional debate. I contend that this deprives the ADF of some important diversity of thought, professional example and intellectual leadership that should be more readily available. My suggestion is that ADF Reservists seek to write and publish of topics from the sweet spot of the intersection of their civilian careers and the military profession.

Suicide, Male Honour and the Masculinity Paradox: its impact on the ADF

In this powerful article, Anne Goyne the Senior Psychologist and Deputy Director Research at the Centre for Defence Leadership and Ethics (CDLE) at the Australian Defence College (ADC) explores the reason for male suicide and its high prevalence in wider society. She highlights the paradox of low ADF male suicide rates and the very high rates of suicide of ex-serving military men.

The Intellectual Edge: A Collective Effect

The article suggests and explores possible components of the Intellectual Edge (being curiosity, understanding, and education), with respect to individual and organisational perspective. It suggests that the IE is attainable through the collective effect of individual intellectual pursuits within an organisation.

The role of culture in developing the intellectual edge

What is the intellectual edge?

The Professions of Arms Needs a CPD Program

In December 2018, the Commander of the Australian Defence College, Major General Mick Ryan, released the Australian Joint Professional Military Education Continuum.